Asides

Rogers – After a devasting loss to Little Rock Central in last season’s state tournament, the Conway girls have been on a mission this season. They moved a step closer to completing that mission Saturday with an emphatic 66-38 victory over the Lady Tigers in the semifinals of the 6A state basketball tournament.

The Lady Wampus Cats will now face fellow 6A-Central foe in next week’s state championship game in Hot Springs.

“We got through what we went through last year, and most girls don’t make it through that — They would have given up,” Conway head coach Ashley Hutchcraft said. “But these girls have stuck together. That was a horrible loss, but they came back this year and I put them through the wringer on our schedule. We have played a lot of nationally-ranked teams and I think that showed today.” 

Conway and Central had already split the regular-season series. The Lady Wampus Cats’ only conference loss this season was a two-point defeat at Central on Jan. 17.

“Yeah, we had a little coming-to-Jesus meeting after that one,” Hutchcraft said with a sly grin. “After you have to run a lot, things tend to change.”

Conway came back to defeat the Lady Tigers 68-39 in the return match-up at home on Feb. 14, leading to the rubber match in the semis.

“I honestly felt like this was our peeking moment of the year,” Hurchcraft said. “We’ve been talking about that since last year, just peeking at the right time. And Savannah looked like an SEC post player today, and when she’s doing that, it makes the outside shots so much easier. So, just super proud of all of them.”

Savannah Scott, the 6-foot-4 senior center, had her way in the paint early in the game. With the guards feeding her the ball inside, Scott score 10 of her 14 points in the first quarter, as Conway jumped out to a 22-12 lead.

“I knew I just had to do my thing and go to work,” Scott said. “I was able to free our shooters up, so we were able to get a lot of outside shots later in the game. They were too busy trying to collapse on me, so I had to do my job early.

“Most of the girls I play against are much smaller, so I just use my body and my hips to get position and then just keep the ball up high.”

Central was able to hold all-state senior Chloe Clardy to just three points in the first half – before she finished with a season-low, nine – but her teammates picked up the slack to keep things rolling. Clardy, a Stanford University commit, is the top-ranked player in the state and No. 8, nationally. She had a game-high 22 in Thursday’s quarterfinal win over Fayetteville, but the Lady Tigers stacked the defsne against her Saturday.

“That’s the difference between us this year and last year,” Hutchcraft said. “We were kind of one-dimensional with Chloe last year – if she doesn’t score 30 then we don’t win. That was not fair to her to carry that burden all year long. We knew we couldn’t be so one-dimensional this year, because we have so many good players and we needed to get them more involved. That is something that we have really worked on.”

Sophomore Samyah Jordan was brilliant from the field for the Lady Cats, draining three shots from beyond the arc to close with a game-high 16 points. But it was Scott who continued to bang inside and free up the Conway shooters.

“Savannah is just in such a good place right now,” Hutchcraft said. “She is really dialed in and making so big-time moves, rebounding, scoring. You can’t coach 6-4, so when we are able to get it to her early, it opens up our outside shot. And we can shoot it, so that helps.”

Senior Kamille Brown also hit a trio of 3-pointers in the game to finish with 13 for the Lady Cats., who led by 20 at the halftime break.

Junior Jordan Marshall continued to battle for Central, ending with a team-high 15 points.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK 60, CABOT 54

The underdog Cabot girls got the early momentum Saturday in the semifinals of the 6A state basketball tournament, but down the stretch it was North Little Rock who was able to surge ahead in a 60-54 win over the Lady Panthers.

The Lady Charging Wildcats were the No. 2 seed from the 6A-Central, while Cabot was the fourth-seed. The Lady Panthers had already defeated West Conference foes, Rogers Heritage and top-seed Bentonville, in the first two rounds of the tournament.

The two teams exchanged buckets through the first quarter Saturday, as North Little Rock clung to a 14-13 lead after one. But junior guard Jenna Cook hit a pair of threes to lead Cabot on a 19-11 second-quarter run that sent the Lady Panthers to the locker room with a 32-25 advantage. Cook finished with three 3 -points in the game for a team high 20 points.

Senior April Edwards proved to be the workhorse for the Lady Wildcats throughout, also connecting on a trio of 3-pointers to pile up a game-high 29 points.

North Little Rock outscored Cabot by four in the third quarter to cut the lead to three. The Lady Wildcats then finished the game on a 22-13 fourth quarter run to put the game away.

They will now advance to next week’s state championship game to face top-seeded Conway in Hot Springs.

  Conway – A storied era in Central Arkansas women’s head basketball ended Saturday when head coach Sandra Rushing stepped away from the program she has led for the past 11 years.

    Rushing finished with 184 career victories at UCA, the second-most in school history, and has won 587 games over her stellar 34-year head coaching career. Rushing took the Sugar Bears to the NCAA National Tournament twice in 2016 and 2017 and finished second in the 2018 WBI postseason tournament, falling at home to Yale.

    Rushing’s teams won the Southland Conference regular season in 2016 and 2017, putting together a combined 54-9 record during that span. They set the UA NCAA Division I record with 28 victories in 2015-16, which tied the overall mark for single-season wins.

    “I want to thank UCA and Dr. (Brad) Teague for their support over the years,” said Rushing. “I will always value the relationships formed at this university.  The last few years have been very challenging and stressful as I have been torn between my obligations here at UCA and my mom’s health issues.

    “I feel it is time for me to step away and take care of my top priority. I wish nothing but the best for UCA and the Sugar Bears’ program.”

    Rushing, who played collegiately at Alabama and was a four-time SEC All-Academic selection, missed eight games this season, seven during ASUN play, while caring for her mother. UCA concluded its 2022-23 season this week.

    Rushing coached previously at Delta State, Henderson State, UTEP and Millsaps. At Delta State from 2002-12, Rushing was the league’s Coach of the Year a record-setting six times and was named Coach of the Decade in 2010 while taking the Lady Statesmen to eight NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Final Four in consecutive years in 2008 and 2009.

    “I want to thank Coach Rushing for her many years of dedication to our program,” said Teague, who also worked with Rushing at Delta State. “She took our program to new heights with her NCAA tournament appearances. She has been a head coach for 34 years and is someone I truly admire and respect. We are happy that she will be able to take better care of her mother now.”

    UCA will begin an immediate search for a new head coach for the women’s basketball program.  

By Jennifer Golston

Morrilton – There is a new kid on the block in travel basketball and if their fall program was any indication they will be just the jolt that Central Arkansas needed.

D.E.B.S. (stands for Developing Education Beyond Sports) Elite Basketball is the brainchild of Director Mark Rico – a former professional player and now budding Athletic Director who understands that basketball must be a “year-round adventure” for any player who aspires to play at the next level.

The program is still in its infancy stages but Rico and his crew have already begun to set the stage for the players in their program to be successful.

“I moved here a few years ago and as a basketball coach and fan, was pretty disappointed at the amount of serious basketball teams and players in Arkansas. It was very top-heavy. Basically, there were only a handful of programs that were really serious about participating in a continuous basis.” Rico said. “Most of them just played when they could or win softball had a rare break. No knock to softball, but for the kids who are passionate about basketball, it left something to be desired.”

So, after a successful two-year stint with another local AAU team in the area, Rico – who is currently pursuing a master’s in education – decided to forge ahead in making his dream a reality by bringing year-round basketball to the Natural State.

“We had so many people tell us that you don’t know how much we have been waiting for something like this. My child plays softball but her heart is in basketball and they would play it 12 months out of the year if they could.” said Rico, with a grin.

That was music to the ears of the former post player, who toiled in countries such as Turkey, South Korea and Italy before a serious knee injury sidelined him for good in 2009.

From there, Rico knew he wanted to stay around the game and mentor up-and-coming players in his native Texas where he eventually began his own AAU organization – Alamo City Ambassadors after helping out other AAU teams over the next few years.

His new organization would secure seven out of nine tournaments in his first and only full season – including an Elite Eight finish at a National Tournament in Dallas in 2018.

But as they prepared for a second season, Rico and his wife decided to relocate after his father-in-law became ill. Although the decision was a no-brainer, Rico knew that his mission wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t give it a go in his wife’s home state.

“It was pretty apparent that this was what I was born to do even though I don’t always love the stress it brings.” said Rico. “I grew up with a single mother so I basically grew up in the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club atmosphere. I understand how important it is to have someone that has lived what you are living to help guide you through those personable years. I am not perfect but I always try to be that mentor that I had growing up.”

Rico started to put his plan in motion soon after the horn had sounded from the final tournament from his previous organization had ended.

“We literally left the court at Hoop Play Nationals (where they lost in championship game) and headed right over to start practicing for the fall program.” laughed Rico. “We were so excited to get started with our vision on our terms.”

That’s where Dawg House Basketball – a well established training program based in Little Rock – came in.

Rico stumbled upon a few training videos that were posted by the program’s owner Chris Davis – and it struck a chord with him almost immediately.

“I knew right away from the videos that he was a very detailed trainer – which is something that is rare at the youth level – but what really stood out was the fact that he actually pulled over and did an “on the spot” training session with a couple of kids who were playing at a playground during a cold winter afternoon.” Rico said. “I knew then he was my guy. Anyone who would do something so selfless and spontaneous had to have his heart in the right place. He’s a huge, huge part of what we are trying to do and our players, parents and coaches all swear by him.”

Davis himself is also a former professional player but has worked with a host of amateur and well-known NBA and WNBA players.

This past weekend, DEBS Elite held their first “showcase” for their elementary and middle school girls. The exhibition round-robin tournament was a culmination of the training they have embarked on over the last few months and what Rico hopes will give them a head start on getting ready for the upcoming school season.

“The great group of girls who chose to take part in fall workouts will be all the better for it.” said Rico. “We are setting the groundwork for their future. My coaches and I will be attending as many of their school games as we can. Each and every player deserves support from their coaches and director. We will be that presence.”

The organization began its Boys Fall program two weeks ago and hopes to field three boys teams in addition to their seven girls teams that are scheduled to begin play in the Spring of 2022.

The plan according to Rico, is to make sure that all of his Elite players have the chance to play top notch competition with college scouts in attendance.

“I don’t believe in handicapping players who have a gift in playing this game.” Rico said. “They deserve the right to be challenged and given and chance to be seen, no matter how old they are. And I believe that with the level of training that they will get along with the experienced, strong support staff we have, it will be great to see where they are in a year or two. But parents have to trust the process and understand that basketball is a seven day a week job if you want to play at the next level.”

Not only will DEBS Elite teams appear in some of the most prestigious tournaments in the country, Rico wants to make sure that his players develop themselves both on and off the court.

“We will do mandatory community service projects each month as an organization, we will challenge our kids and also hold them accountable in the classroom.” said Rico.

To contact Rico for a tryout or for more information e-mail him at DebsEliteBasketball@gmail.com

2022 D.E.B.S. ELITE COACHING ROSTER:

3rd/4th Grade Girls – Mariah Jeffcoat

5th/6th Grade ELITE Girls – Shawn Morris

5th/6th SELECT Girls – Marvin Hall

7th/8th Grade Girls – Mariah Jeffcoat

7th Grade SELECT Girls – Mark Rico

9th Grade Girls SELECT – TBA

9th Grade Girls NATIONAL – Mark Rico

High School Girls NATIONAL – Marvin Hall, Kaneitra Curtis

3rd/4th Grade Boys – Damian Wright

5th/6th Grade SELECT Boys – Christian Kelley

7th/8th Grade Boys – Cobey Pintado

High School Boys – Cobey Pintado

Conway – Central Arkansas found the cure what ailed them after the first two weekends of football in the span of a quarter of football in their 2021 home opener.

All it took was three consecutive touchdown drives coupled with an early Arkansas-Pine Bluff turnover that sent the Bears to an early lead that they never relinquished in a relatively easy 45-23 rout of the Golden Lions in front of an overflow crowd on Saturday night at Estes Stadium.

Fifth year senior Braylin Smith got on track early as Chris Richmond, Sam Camargo and Tobias Enlow all hauled in short touchdown passes just before the game was halted for thirty minutes just before halftime due to lightning strikes in the area.

The No. 24 ranked Bears settled for a 28-9 halftime lead, thanks in part to Smith, who tied his career high in just thirty minutes of action. In the victory, Smith completed his first 15 passes to break the school record of 14 straight held by his head coach Nathan Brown (2007) and Brian Stallworth (2001).

Smith, who finished 31-of-42 passing for 329 yards, overcame a pair of interceptions on consecutive possessions in the third quarter to lead the Bears on two fourth-quarter touchdowns drives that sealed the victory.

It was UCA’s 11th consecutive win over UAPB, as they improved to 11-2 in the overall series.

“I was pleased with our team,’ said Brown. “Bottom line is, we came out hot. If you look at the possession time, I think we held the ball for 13 minutes in the first quarter, turned them over on special teams play and I think their one possession in the first quarter was a three and out. (So) we were up 21-0 before we blinked. And that’s what set the tone of the game. I was really pleased to see our team respond that way.”

The Bears, who lost a shootout at No. 24 Missouri State last Saturday, rolled up a season-high 456 yards of total offense and held the ball for nearly 38 minutes, including a whopping 13:24 in the first quarter.

UCA also converted 12 of 17 third-down situations and held UAPB starter Skyler Perry to just 1-of-10 passing on third down.

UCA senior placekicker Hayden Ray nailed a 32-yard field goal early in the third quarter to push UCA’s lead to 31-9 before UAPB mounted its comeback. The Golden Lions (1-1) turned the back-to-back interceptions into touchdowns, the second was a 49-yard pick-six by Andre Fuller that got UAPB within one score at 31-23 with 4:50 left in the third quarter.

But UCA freshman running back Darius Hale added a pair of short touchdowns runs over the final 7:50 to seal the win. Hale, from Pearland, Texas, led the Bears with 76 yards on 19 carries, with fellow freshman Trysten Smith adding 59 yards on 15 attempts. Former UCA Bears Kierre Crossley, a graduate transfer at UAPB, led the Golden Lions with 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just seven carries.

“They (UAPB) showed a tremendous amount of fight to continue playing,’ said Brown. “And I didn’t think we handled the lightning delay and halftime very well at all. The third quarter showed it because they got after us. It was unfortunate how we played there but I thought we responded well in the fourth quarter. To win the fourth quarter, basically 14-0, was huge. We had our backs against the wall, it got to a one-possession game. And our guys responded, and that’s what you expect good teams to do. And I still think we have a good football team.”

Defensively, UCA was very good, holding UAPB to 308 total yards of offense, with quarterback Skyler Perry completing just 13 of 32 for 173 yards. UCA junior Deandre Lamont filled up his stat sheet with five tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and blocked point after. Senior linebacker Trenton Dunn led the Bears with a career-high 13 tackles and forced the fumble the Lamont recovered.

Richmond, Winningham, Hudson and Enlow all combined for 23 receptions for 275 yards.

UCA continues its homestand next Saturday, hosting defending FCS national champion Sam Houston.

The Bears and Sam Houston are familiar foes since the Southland Conference and have staged some classic battles since 2006.